The Bigger Picture: Visual Archives and the Smithsonian

See Here: 1/6/2012

I love these statues. Every time I see one, I think about the progression of human civilization. If I remember my history correct, the people on Easter Island loved these statues so much that they built them EVERY WHERE on the island. Then the only way to roll the stones was to cut down trees and roll them. However, before anyone noticed, the Easter Island people had cut down all their trees. If anyone knows anything about this, please confirm or deny.

The story about why the trees disappeared on the Easter Islands is more complex. Somewhat recent findings suggest that while humans were responsible for some of the destruction of trees on the Islands, rats may also have contributed to the decimation of vegetation on the islands. An inundation of rats on the island may have eaten all of the seeds, making regrowth of trees and other plants impossible. You can read more about about this theory here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/The_Mystery_of_Easter_Island...

Catherine, thank you for the follow up response. Your response has filled in the holes to my original comment. I had figured my original comment was not 100% accurate because I wondered how a civilization would cut down every tree without noticing. (but with some of the things civilization does, it isn't too far fetched) However, now with your new piece of information that with the help of rats, I can completely imagine them both wiping out the tree population.